News and Opinions on Professional Wrestling

Why 2018 Could be a Great Year to be a Wrestling Fan

2017 has come to a close, and we are already in the second month of 2018. (Damn, this year is flying by!) So, far 2018 has started out a lot better than 2017 did.

So, far in 2018, we have gotten to see Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega in an instant classic, previously thought would never be seen, at WrestleKingdom 12. Then, to top the month off WWE nailed the Men’s Royal Rumble winner, which was nice after they’ve botched it for the last five years.

With Shinsuke Nakamura winning the Men’s Rumble it virtually guarantees a dream match, in WWE land anyways, of AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. Ever since the pair arrived on the scene in 2016, Styles at the Rumble, and Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Dallas the night before Styles first WrestleMania match against Jericho at WrestleMania 32.

Even though the pair has wrestled before on New Japan Pro Wrestling’s “Grandest Stage of Them All” Wrestle Kingdom 10, no one ever thought we would see in WWE, and definitely not at WrestleMania.

But, Vince listened to the fans and realized how quickly tickets would sell with the addition of Styles and Nakamura facing off being added to the card. He even let Nakamura eliminate his golden boy Roman Reigns, a move that shocked many.

Also, we’ve seen the signing of War Machine, Ricochet, EC3, and Candice LeRae to WWE’s developmental system NXT. Four huge independent names that will only help bolster that already stacked roster, and will no doubt help put on phenomenal matches week in and week out.

On top of all that NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia may have been the best TakeOver ever, with undoubtedly the best main event any TakeOver has ever had. The match of the year candidate that Johnny Gargano and NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas put on was nothing short of spectacular.

January just keeps getting better and better! January was a historic month for WWE and their Women’s Revolution. Not only did we see the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble, but in that, we also got to the first time WWE Women ever main evented one of the big four! Also, the next night on Raw Stephanie McMahon announced that Alexa Bliss will have to defend her Raw Woman’s Championship in the first ever Women’s Elimination Chamber Match! Add into that, that at the Royal Rumble event former UFC star Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut, and the sky seems to be the limit for WWE’s Women’s Division.

Finally, also on Royal Rumble weekend, we began to see the destruction of The Bullet Club as we know it when Cody Rhodes hit Kenny Omega with the CrossRhodes after Kenny lost the IWGP United States Championship to ‘Switchblade’ Jay White. These events have now led to a blockbuster match between Kenny and Cody at ROH: Supercard of Honor; and a reunion of The Golden Lovers, Kenny Omega, and Kota Ibushi!

Keep in mind all this has happened in the first month of 2018! All the potential these storylines have and all the quality matches we will see as a result should already be enough to have any wrestling fan foaming at the mouth with excitement. And if you’re not, you either need to check your pulse, or you’re not a real fan.

Going off of the independent scene storylines alone, 2018 is already shaping up to be one of the best years wrestling fans have seen in a very long time. As long as WWE can keep its momentum going after what could be a phenomenal WrestleMania (pun intended) 2018 as a whole, no matter what promotion you like could be a “Perfect 10!”